NLCIL Undertakes Mass Tree Plantation Drive To Commemorate Vriksharopan Abhiyan- 2024

A novel Tree plantation programme initiative by the Ministry of Coal as part of Vriksharopan Abhiyan was celebrated by NLCIL in 14 places/sites in 5 Districts and involving 5 states (Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand and UP) today on 25.07.24.

About 4200 people comprising Executives, Employees, Indcoserve and Contract workmen and around 100 School Children had participated in the event. The CMD, Functional Directors and CVO of NLCIL, DIG /CISF and Deputy Director Medical, Cuddalore actively participated in this program and encouraged the participants. During this event, 42,500 saplings were planted in 14 sites while 92,500 saplings were distributed to Executives, Employees, Indcoserve& Contract workmen of NLCIL and to the students and the general public in Neyveli.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, CMD, NLCIL, said that Vriksharopan Abhiyan was started in the year 2020 by the Ministry of Coal with an objective to restore ecological balance through sustainable measures. He took pride in the fact that NLCIL Mines, with an Eco-park and innovative sustainability initiatives were a role model to the country. He called upon all stakeholders to continue to uphold the best practices in sustainable Mining and living. A total of 3000 saplings were planted in Mine-IA alone. Similar tree plantation drive was carried out in Mine-I, Mine-II, Thermal Power Station-II, Thermal Power Station-II Expansion and Thermal Power Station-I Expansion besides township areas where 82,000 saplings were planted and distributed.

In outside projects at Barsingsar, Talabira, NUPPL, NTPL and Pachwara South, 53,000 saplings were planted and further distributed today to the participants on the occasion of VriksharopanAbhiyan. In total, NLCIL has planted and distributed 1,35,000 saplings on 25.07.24.

Earlier, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Hon’ble Union Minister for Coal & Mines, launched a Mass Tree Plantation Drive across various locations of Coal& Lignite companies including NLCIL and its subsidiaries, through virtual mode, today (25.07.2024) from Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

Also present on the occasion were Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, Hon’ble Minister of State for Coal & Mines, Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal and senior officials of the Ministry, as well as top Management and senior officials of Coal / Lignite PSUs.The drive was carried out as part of the ‘VriksharopanAbhiyan’ being observed across the country, at nearly 50 locations of the PSE’s of the Union Ministry of Coal.

“Vriksharopan Abhiyan” is celebrated every year with with great zeal by the Coal/Lignite Public Sector Enterprises, functioning under the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, with the objective of enriching the bio-diversity in the mining areas and bringing awareness about the imperative of undertaking wide-spread and sustained greening activities. As part of Tree Plantation Drive, programmes have simultaneously been organised at more than 50 locations spread in Coal/Lignite bearing states.

It is also worth noting that the saplings planted in the mass drives organised in the previous years on the occasion of “Vriksharopan Abhiyan” in Mines and township areas have been nurtured well as a result of which, the saplings have grown into clusters and groves of small trees.

NLCIL, which boasts of a “green” township with about 3 crore trees, a unique aspect by itself, is committed to sustainable practices including reclamation of mined out areas and to increase the green cover.